How many of you have a beloved teddy bear, either tucked in your arms right now, or tucked away in your happy memories? Maybe it was a stuffed rabbit, a monkey or even a skunk! Most children have at least one special toy that becomes a very special friend and there are a number of children's books that celebrate this relationship.

Among the most popular stories about a teddy bear are two books written and illustrated by Don Freeman: "Corduroy" and "A Pocket for Corduroy." The first title begins in the toy department of a busy department store. One by one, the toys go off to good homes. All but the little bear, with the button missing off his overalls, who is left wondering if he'll ever find someone to love. The story of Corduroy's search for his missing button is very exciting (at least for a little toy bear) and has a very happy ending for all concerned. "A Pocket for Corduroy" is about another adventure at a laundromat. Poor Corduroy is accidently left behind and has a harrowing night on his own. Once again, all ends well for this bear and his best friend.

A laundromat also plays a part in another beloved series by Mo Willems. The saga begins with "Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale." Trixie and her Daddy manage to get the dirty clothes to the laundromat, but they don't manage to return with all their belongings! It takes Mom to realize that Knuffle Bunny is missing and to organize the search. Mo Willems uses cartoon cutouts set on top of actual neighborhood photographs to illustrate this story. His dry wit and unusual art style make these books a real treat for all ages. The adventures of Trixie and her best friend continue in "Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity" and "Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion." Read all three for a trip through childhood.

Helen Oxenbury is an English writer and illustrator. Her drawings are simple and charming, as are her stories about Tom and his stuffed monkey Pippo. "Tom and Pippo Go Shopping" is one of the titles in her series about these two inseparable friends. When shopping with Mommy, Pippo is the ideal companion. When Tom is offered various treats, he has to eat and drink them all up himself, since Pippo is never hungry or thirsty. These short books are perfect for toddlers.

Taking a favorite stuffed toy along on a shopping trip can be fraught with danger though. In "Polly's Puffin" by Sarah Garland, Polly is taking very good care of her stuffed bird, but in the Tea Room (this is another British title) Polly generously lets her little brother play with her toy. At first, Jim hugs and kisses Puffin, but then he gets a little wilder and throws the little bird over his shoulder. Poor Puffin lands in the hood of a stranger's jacket. Polly gathers her Mom and Jim and they begin a wild chase, but the stranger has a head start and disappears around a corner. Will Polly ever see Puffin again?

"Lizzy and Skunk," written and illustrated by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, is not about a stuffed animal, but rather a hand puppet. Lizzy is afraid of many things. It's a good thing she has Skunk, who is not afraid of anything. With Skunk on her hand, Lizzie can deal with spiders, get out there on her skates and even participate in the school talent show. One day Skunk gets lost. Lizzy is on her own. She can't give in to her fears, not when Skunk's safety is at stake. This is a wonderful story about overcoming fears and worries.

Eventually there may come a time when it feels babyish to cling to a stuffed animal. Bernard Waber describes this beautifully in "Ira Sleeps Over." Ira is invited to his first ever sleep-over at Reggie's house. It sounds like a lot of fun, until Ira's sister starts teasing him about sleeping without his teddy bear for the very first time. Suddenly, Ira's stomach hurts and the whole sleep-over thing doesn't sound like quite so much fun. Bernard Water really captures the indecision and angst involved in this rite of passage and the ending may surprise you. It certainly surprised Ira!

Once there was a little boy named Christopher Robin, who had a whole collection of stuffed animals. His father was an author named A.A. Milne and he wrote a series of stories about the adventures these toys shared in the Hundred Acre Woods. These stories are collected in "The Winnie-the-Pooh Storybook Treasury." The original illustrations by Ernest Shepard are included in this volume. These tales of friendship between Pooh Bear, Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo and bouncy Tigger are as fresh and funny as when they were written in the 1920s.

In 1913, a young woman named Daisy Spedden wrote a Christmas story for her son. The manuscript was rediscovered in an attic and was published in 1994, with illustrations by Laurie McGaw. "Polar the Titanic Bear" purports to be written by Polar himself. He begins life in a small toy factory and soon finds a happy home with a wealthy young boy he calls Master. Polar and his boy have many fun times together and travel the world in style. All goes well until the family is booked for a passage back to America on the biggest ship in the world — the Titanic. Polar gives a first-hand account of that terrible night when the ship hits the iceberg and sinks. Fortunately, Master and Polar are both among the passengers that manage to get on a lifeboat. This book gives an interesting look into the life of an Edwardian family, as well as an eyewitness view of history. An introduction and an epilogue give more information about that time and includes photographs that were found along with the story.

The last story is "My Brown Bear Barney" by Dorothy Butler. A little girl explains that whatever she does and wherever she goes, her Brown Bear Barney comes with. There's talk (from Mother) about leaving Barney home when she starts school. Maybe yes, maybe no, or as the little girl says, "We'll see about that!"

The Summer Reading Club is coming to an end. We'll be playing the game through the first week of September, for those who have had long summer vacations. Happy school days to all of you and if you're just entering kindergarten, remember the "Kindergarten, Here I Come!" program at the Main Library in Eureka on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 2 p.m.

JoAnn Bauer is a children's librarian for the Humboldt County Library.